Bamberg, as I already mentioned, is in the northern part of the German state of Bavaria, north of Nurenberg by about an hour train ride. From Penzberg, which is about 30 minutes north of the Austrian border, the train ride to Bamberg took about 4 hours, including a one-hour "layover" in Munich. My college friend was coming from Hamburg, which is pretty far north in Germany, so her trip was a little longer than mine (maybe 5 hours?), but Bamberg was the best middle meeting point for us, and I don't think either of us could complain.
Bamberg is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites, and its architecture, medieval in style, is what primarily separates it from what one typically sees in the southern parts of Bavaria. The city, like so many other old cities in Germany, is located along a river (the Regnitz River) that bisects the heart of main pedestrian areas. The area on the southwest bank of the river, where the majority of the historical areas are located, is rather hilly (meaning intense up-hill walking!), while the other side, dedicated to more industrial and residential endeavors (including another waterway), is a bit smoother. And, of course, the side we wanted to tour was the historical side, so we had a lot of urban hiking to do.
We arrived in Bamberg midday on Saturday and dropped our luggage off at the hotel (to check in later). Then food became our priority. Using a map that my friend so smartly brought along, we found our way over the river and into the heart of the historical section of Bamberg. We ended up in an area called, "Little Venice," so we figured it would probably be a great place for food, and we weren't let down. We stopped in a small pizzeria, hoping to sit inside, as the midday sun had gotten rather oppressive when combined with the humidity from the river and impending rain. We walked into the restaurant and were guided to an interior courtyard dining area, so we ended up sitting outside but in an area with little cross breeze (because we were in an interior courtyard!). The restaurant was quaint and the service was delightful, and eventually the cool drinks we had made the heat less oppressive. Our waiter was eager to try out his English skills on his American diners, but since my friend is a fluent German speaker, she was able to help out when he searched for a word.
Because we were still in the throes of the e.coli scare (damn bean sprouts causing me to cut out lettuce, tomato, and cucumbers from my diet for a couple weeks!), my standard caprese salad was out of the question, so I opted for a calzone. The crust on pizzas and calzones in Bavaria is much thinner and pliable than the crusts I'm used to in the States. Unlike the thin crust pizzas I get back home, the thin crusts here (which are standard) are not tough or crunchy; you should probably use a fork and knife to eat your pizza here because the crust is so soft. But it's absolutely delicious. For someone who loves thick-crust and deep-dish pizza, I can truly say that the crusts here, though thin, are delicious and make up as much flavor in the pizza (if not more!) as the toppings do.
After eating, we reviewed our map and planned our tourist attack of the city. We prioritized the Cathedral (Dom), New Residence, Kloster St. Michael, and the Altes Rathaus, in that order, as the places we needed to see. And we were not disappointed.
Our first stop was the Cathedral, and I was simply in awe. This building was huge and when you entered it, you immediately felt the cooling effect of the stone used to build it (a nice break from the heat). Unlike other churches I've seen in Bavaria, this church was more monochromatic, containing many stone statues and carvings throughout the main sanctuary. Don't get me wrong - there was vibrant color in specific places all around, but you really had to pay attention to the details of the stone work to really appreciate the architecture, too. And, of course, in true cathedral opulence, there were plenty of gold and silver pieces, particularly on the altars, that gleamed against the grey stone.
One of the most striking statues was the Bamberger Reiter - He really doesn't fit in with the rest of the statues and architecture, and no one is sure who or what he represents (popular theories is that he is pointing towards one of the kings or saints buried in the Cathedral). He is so striking that the Nazis idealized him as perfect heroicism and used him as a symbol of "Aryan perfection" in the classroom. Whoever he is, he is very unique and an interesting feature in the Cathedral.
We really wanted to visit the crypt of the Cathedral, as it is listed as a "must-see" in most traveling guides, but it was closed for a baptism, so we could only peek in from above. To us, it just seemed a little weird and uncomfortable to gawk at people during a sacramental event, so we respectfully glanced in and then excused ourselves from the church. I found it a bit disconcerting to see a group of kids climbing up on a tomb in the body of the main church just to get a better look of what was going on down below in the crypt. My only hope is that they didn't realize what they were climbing on and their chaperones were simply elsewhere at that moment.After touring the Cathedral, we walked across the plaza (appropriate called the Domplatz) to the New Residence (Neue Residenz). In this time, a wedding was just wrapping up, and, in what appeared to me as a perfect European wedding ending, an adorable yellow car picked up with the bride and groom to drive them off to their new married life. It reminded me SO much of the Sicilian wedding scene from The Godfather that I had to applaud the couple as they drove by, honking their horn and celebrating their new union. It was beautiful.
The New Residence, a former political center for Bamberg (I think!), has been converted into a museum. The admission was steep and we really didn't feel like being cooped up in a museum, especially when everything was in German (meaning that I wouldn't understand anything unless my friend translated, which kind of ruins the whole thing), so we chose to just explore the grounds instead. One of the most popular destinations in Bamberg is the rose garden at the New Residence. And I can tell why - It is a beautifully designed traditionally rose garden with a myriad of rose variations. Most of the roses were in some phase of blooming, so there was so much color all over the garden. Within the garden, there were statues and fountains, many of which in the form of cherubs (some beautiful, a few creepy). On one edge of the garden, a tea house and restaurant were situated, and on the edge of the garden, the best view of the city was available. Benches and shade trees were provided along this edge, and people were parked all over them just looking out at the amazing view in front of them. Amazing.
After the New Residence, we decided it was time to head for higher ground and go to the Kloster, located on the tallest hill in the city. Phew! It was quite a hike! And the heat was rather oppressive, so let's just say one of our motivating factors to climb up there was knowing that our walk down would be all downhill. :) The Kloster is unbelievably formidable, resting on top of a hill, looking down on all of Bamberg. It has a pair of steeples on one side that made it easier to navigate to when we were lost in the maze of winding streets trying to find it.When we got up to Kloster St. Michael, we were disappointed to see that a wedding closed off the church and monastery for tours (in addition to some major renovation projects), but the grounds around the Kloster made the uphill journey worthwhile. Again, a small restaurant had been set up on the back side of the building, looking out onto the city below. Several hidden outbuildings awaited our discovery as well. We took a path through what looked like a field to go back down to the city (instead of the streets we took up), and we found a beautiful fountain, two gate houses, and some hidden statues and whatnot sprinkling the hillside. And, of course, the views from looking down from Kloster St. Michael and then up at it (especially at night) were breathtaking. I definitely want to go back to Bamberg just to tour the Kloster interior some time (note to self: Don't try to tour on a Saturday or Sunday, to avoid wedding and mass traffic).
By the time we got down to the city from the Kloster, my water bottle ran empty and I was starting to feel a bit sweaty, so we headed back to the hotel to officially check in and rest for a little bit. The timing was good, too, as it appeared that it was going to rain (even storm) by the time we got back to the hotel. We took that opportunity to freshen ourselves up, rehydrate, and relax for a little while - A perfect plan. :)And, almost as exciting as the sites we had just seen, we discovered that our hotel room contained AIR CONDITIONING! We definitely indulged in as much AC as we could get - it was such a nice break from the heat and humidity outside.
Once we regained our energy (especially me - it turns out that carrying a baby is hard work, even on vacation!), we made our way to the Rathaus. The Rathaus is located in the middle of the river, in between the two sections of the city. A couple of bridges connect the old and new city, with the Rathaus right in the middle. As with everything else we had seen that day, it was just beautiful. The building was painted with frescoes reminiscent of the paintings I've seen on buildings throughout Bavaria. However, one of the frescoes included a three-dimensional element, a cherub's leg, sticking out from the painting. It was identical to the three-dimensional elements that Justin and I saw on the ceiling at Schloss Linderhof a couple weeks earlier.
Several sculptures and statues were located around the Rathaus, too, including a unique partial giant face (for or of someone we couldn't figure out), an empress, and Jesus on the crucifix surrounded by his apostles. And a beautifully painted and ornamented house (its purpose or historical significance I don't know) was just over the bridge from the Rathaus. Everything was simply picturesque, and it felt exactly like what I expected of a European vacation, including an ice cream stand and a book store right off the path from the Rathaus. Gorgeous!We ended the night by having dinner at the a brewhouse/Bavarian restaurant. Bamberg is known for its smoky-flavored beer (said to have an after taste of bacon), so my friend had to try this. I had a sip of her beer, and, well, it was definitely smoky, but I didn't get the bacon aftertaste. My assumption is that people would consider it similar in taste to bacon since a lot of the bacon that we eat in the States is smoked... ??
Dinner was delicious, but our desserts made the night. My friend had a chocolate mousse served in the cutest little mason jar, and I had a French chocolate cake served with white chocolate ice cream. Amazing. It was probably the best dessert I've had while on this assignment and I could almost justify the expense of the train ticket to go up to Bamberg to have that dessert again.
After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and called it a night. The next morning, we had brunch and then headed to the train station for our departures.Overall, Bamberg was absolutely spectacular and actually exceeded my expectations. I will definitely return to Bamberg on a visit to Bavaria, and I look forward to recommending it to my German and US colleagues alike.
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